Dictionaries :: Pirathon; Pirathonite

International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia

Pirathon; Pirathonite:

pir'-a-thon, pir'-a-thon-it (pir‘athon, pir‘athoni; Codex Vaticanus Pharathom; Codex Alexandrinus Phraathom, Pharathuneites): The home of Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite (Jud 12:13 the King James Version), where also he was buried, "in the land of Ephraim in the mount of the Amalekites." The latter name may have clung to a district which at some former time had been held by the Amalekites. From this town also came Benaiah, one of David's chief captains (2Sa 23:30; 1Ch 11:31; 27:14). It is probably to be identified with Fer‘ata, about 6 miles Southwest of Nablus. A possible rival is Fir‘on, 15 miles West of Nablus. G.A. Smith suggests a position at the head of Wady Far‘ah (HGHL, 355). Moore thinks it may have been in Benjamin, Abdon being a Benjamite family (1Ch 8:23,30; 9:36). It is just possible that the place may be identical with Pharathon, one of the towns fortified by Bacchides (1 Macc 9:50).

Written by W. Ewing